AMD ATI Radeon HD 5870: Unquestionably Number One

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Intro, Specifications and Related Info

Over the past couple of weeks, we've been completely preoccupied trying to come up with a catchy and informative introduction for this article. We thought maybe it would be fun to play off of AMD's tree-laden GPU codenames to come up with an interesting segue into the Radeon HD 5800 series' power efficiency. But we came up short. Then we thought we could use an image of the Radeon HD 5870's cooler and draw a parallel to the awesomeness that was the original Bat Mobile, but a couple of folks from AMD snagged that idea. Even being briefed on the technology we're about to show you on the very same aircraft carrier that scooped up the Apollo 11 astronauts didn't cure the writer's block.

Then it hit us. Why bother? PC Enthusiasts are always chomping at the bit trying to glean even the slightest bit of information about cutting edge GPU technology. And that's exactly what we've got in store for you right here.

We've got a sneaking suspicion that telling you all about the first DirectX 11 compatible GPU, that's crammed with over 2 billion transistors, produced using an advanced 40nm process, would get you all worked up into the kind of frenzy that a no pithy intro could. So, feast your eyes on the Radeon HD 5870, check out the specs and features below, and read on for full scoop on AMD's latest flagship GPU. Just don't get too worked up, too quickly. We want you to make it all the way to the end without passing out...

A few of the design goals AMD / ATI set when the Radeon HD 5870 was still in the design phase are outlined on the slides above. Of course, a lot of groundwork had to be laid over the years before the company could produce such a product. As the above list of specifications and features show, the new Radeon HD 5870 is quite advanced in comparison to other current GPU products. But the chip does leverage technologies already implemented in previously released GPUs--it's not all new. As such, we'd recommend perusing some recent HotHardware articles to brush up on a few of the technologies and features employed by the new Radeon HD 5870...

The articles listed above cover many of the features available with the Radeon HD 5870, like CrossFire, the UVD 2 video engine, Catalyst Control Center, PowerPlay, GDDR5 memory, and more. There are, however, a lot of brand new things being introduced with the Radeon 5800 series that we plan to cover on the pages ahead. So strap in as we take the most advanced GPU released to date for a spin through the the labs--we promise you won't be disappointed.